BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — On Saturday, tens of thousands of people gathered in Budapest to celebrate the 31st annual Budapest Pride, marking the first LGBTQ+ march since the ousting of former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in an April election. The event took place amid high temperatures, reaching at least 38 C (100 F), during a heat wave affecting much of Europe. Organizers provided water bottles to participants, and public fountains were opened along the route.
The march commenced from the Opera House and proceeded through the city center, crossing the Erzsébet Bridge over the Danube River. Attendees, including members of Hungary’s LGBTQ+ community and their supporters, danced to music and waved rainbow flags. Luca Új, attending her third Pride event, noted a more relaxed atmosphere compared to previous years under Orbán's government, which had enacted several anti-LGBTQ+ policies.
“People seem happier, and there are more older participants,” she said. The march occurred a little over a year after Orbán's government passed legislation and a constitutional amendment aimed at banning the event, which drew criticism from human rights groups and EU politicians. Despite the ban, last year’s Pride continued as planned and attracted over 350,000 attendees, challenging Orbán's authority.
Orbán was defeated in April by Prime Minister Péter Magyar and his Tisza party. Although the new government has not repealed the previous legislation against Pride, police authorized this year's event and provided security. First-time participant Kristóf Györgyi expressed optimism that the new government would extend rights to sexual minorities, referencing ongoing debates in Parliament regarding same-sex adoption and marriage. He noted, “There are already many signs of hope for our community.”
Hungary's previous government had claimed that Pride celebrations violated children's rights, a stance rejected by rights groups and experts. In April, the EU’s highest court ruled that Orbán-era legislation from 2021, which restricted LGBTQ+ content for minors, violated EU law and breached fundamental human rights treaties.